Strawberry Star’s Clint Bartman to expand BTR division

The Strawberry Star Group – a leading international property company with developments in London and the South East – has announced a business focus on the Build to Rent (BTR) sector, as part of its market expansion strategy.

Santhosh Gowda, Chairman of the Strawberry Star Group, said: “As a leading end-to-end property services provider, foraying into BTR is a strategic move considering the sector’s growth potential. Our decision is backed by growing interest among investors, including institutional investors and family offices, who are exploring niche new-build sectors within the UK property market, as stocks and shares have become much more volatile. We are well positioned to leverage investors’ interests as our sites are strategically located in key regeneration areas with high rental demand.”

In line with the Group’s plans to deliver over 4,000 new homes by 2025, Strawberry Star has appointed Clint Bartman as Managing Director of Asset Management to establish its BTR business vertical. Clint has 20+ years of residential real estate experience across the United Kingdom and North America. In the UK Clint served as the Vice President of Fjeld Consulting advising global real estate operators in the BTR, PBSA and Private Rental sectors and prior to consulting was the Operations Director for Empiric Student Property Plc, a listed UK REIT, creating its operational platform and the market-leading customer brand Hello Student®. In the US, Clint was the Senior Director of Real Estate for Pi Kappa Alpha International providing real estate advisory across the United States and Canada.

Clint commented, “The BTR sector continues to grow and establish itself as a sub-asset class in the UK. We want to offer and manage the supply of safe, secure homes with enviable communities, appealing to this growing demand. Our focus will remain on providing exemplary end-to-end service. I am excited to be part of this journey and to be part of the Strawberry Star team.”

Santhosh added, “We are planning significant expansion into BTR with the aim to deliver high quality homes in up-and-coming, amenity-rich locations, backed by a fully managed solution. With Clint’s direction, we will build a scalable BTR business model contributing to our growth.”

The number of homes in the BTR sector in the UK is up 40 per cent on last year, and with thousands of units in the pipeline, the sector is set to increase 20 per cent year on year. Currently, there are significantly more units in planning than in construction or completed combined. And at full maturity, it is estimated that BTR could increase to as many as 1.7 million units, signifying considerable scope for future growth.